World Records

It's just another nondescript building in an industrial park wedged between the freeway and train tracks in Laguna Niguel. A transmission place is next door. An auto body shop is across the driveway. Olympic training site? Not likely, unless demolition derby is the newest Olympic sport. But in the parking lot there is a sign posted outside the building: "Attention: Do Not Expose or Handle Firearms in the Parking Lot." The building houses an indoor shooting range. Bill Demarest, U.S.

Jay Cochrane, a Canadian tightrope walker who set world records as he crossed high above gorges and traversed from skyscraper to skyscraper the world over, died Wednesday in Niagara Falls, Ontario, according to a remembrance posted on his website . He was 69 and had pancreatic cancer, according to an Internet tribute called "The Prince of the Air. " In the tribute, aerialist Nik Wallenda called Cochrane "a man of amazing visions. " "It was a dream of mine that I expressed to my wife only yesterday that we might work together on my next walk," he said.

Jay Cochrane, a Canadian tightrope walker who set world records as he crossed high above gorges and traversed from skyscraper to skyscraper the world over, died Wednesday in Niagara Falls, Ontario, according to a remembrance posted on his website . He was 69 and had pancreatic cancer, according to an Internet tribute called "The Prince of the Air. " In the tribute, aerialist Nik Wallenda called Cochrane "a man of amazing visions. " "It was a dream of mine that I expressed to my wife only yesterday that we might work together on my next walk," he said.

Track and field's international governing body decided Saturday to strip Canadian sprinter Ben Johnson of world records in the 100-meter and the indoor 50- and 60-meter dashes because of his use of performance-enhancing drugs, International Amateur Athletic Federation spokesman Franco Fava said. Fava said the decision gave six-time Olympic gold medalist Carl Lewis his first world record in an outdoor individual event--9.

Giorgio Lamberti of Italy and Adrian Moorhouse of Britain set world records at the European Swimming Championships Tuesday, and East German swimmers swept the women's events at Bonn, West Germany. Lamberti's time of 1 minute 46.69 seconds in the 200-meter freestyle was better than the 1:47.25 set by Duncan Armstrong of Australia at the Seoul Olympics. Moorhouse broke Steve Lundquist's 100-meter breaststroke record in morning heats with a time of 1:01.49. He won the gold medal later in the day.

Ventura County reservoirs produced two noteworthy catches: --A 16-pound 8-ounce largemouth bass, caught at Lake Casitas by Jim Mason of Oak View. Such a catch is apt to start bass fishermen thinking world record. Though that is expected to come from nearby Lake Castaic, many feel Casitas has a chance, too. --A 4-pound smallmouth bass, pulled from Lake Piru by Dave Uradomo of Torrance.

Ian Thorpe started the World Swimming Championships on Sunday by breaking one of the three world records he holds, coming from behind to win the 400-meter freestyle at Fukuoka, Japan. Immediately after collecting the gold medal, the "Thorpedo" anchored an Australian victory in the 400-meter freestyle relay. The U.S., which had won the relay in all eight previous world championships, finished third, then was disqualified for using a different No.

Pole vaulter Yelena Isinbayeva of Russia and steeplechaser Saif Saaeed Shaheen of Qatar set world records Friday at the Van Damme Memorial meet in Brussels. Isinbayeva set a world record for the second time in two weeks and improved on the mark she set to win the Olympic title. She cleared 16-1 3/4 , bettering by a half inch her winning vault at the Athens Games. It was her fifth record in two months. "I want to be a legend," she said. "I like people to talk about me."

Naim Suleymanoglu, the "Pocket Hercules" who defected from Bulgaria in 1986, stole the show at the Olympics today, shattering three of his world records to win the 132-pound division and give Turkey its first Olympic gold medal in two decades. The diminutive powerhouse, standing just 4 feet, 9 inches, lifted a record-setting total of 755.07 pounds to live up to his nickname and easily outclass his opponents.

Tens of thousands turned out Saturday in Long Beach for the creative and slightly wacky Red Bull Flugtag competition, in which teams attempt to fly man-made machines off a 30-foot dock. In many cases, they almost immediately plummeted to the water. Though the event is certainly made for fun, the production of each Flugtag isn't taken lightly. Teams of up to five people work for weeks, even months, perfecting their flying machine. Each machine must be homemade, human-powered, less than 28-feet wide and weigh no more than 400 pounds, including the pilot.

Last month, some publications proclaimed a trio of young female swimmers the stars of their sport after the teenagers set world records at the FINA world championships in Barcelona, Spain. But Monday, it was 64-year-old Diana Nyad who captured the world's attention, becoming the first person to successfully swim the treacherous 110-mile stretch of ocean that divides Cuba and the United States without a shark cage. It's a remarkable feat, made even more noteworthy given that swimming is so often considered a sport that favors the young.

By now, the trio of fishermen from California, Colorado and Texas were supposed to be world record holders. But two months after hooking a mako shark that apparently weighed in at more than 1,300 pounds, the anglers have yet to even file the paperwork to claim it. "I talked to one of them after it happened and he said he's been out of the country," said Jack Vitek, world records coordinator for the International Game Fish Assn. based in Florida. "We still haven't heard from them," Vitek said.

The boyfriend of a Menifee woman dubbed the Queen of Sole for her extensive shoe collection is being held on suspicion of her murder after she was found in the swimming pool with signs of blunt force trauma. Riverside County Sheriff's investigators won't say if they recovered a weapon from Darlene Flynn's ranch-style home, which was stuffed with more than 15,000 pairs of shoes. When deputies responded Monday afternoon to reports of a possible domestic violence incident, they reportedly discovered the woman's boyfriend, Justin Charles Smith, 29, shirtless and running from the Stone Lane home.

Bill Warner, who set the world record for fastest speed on a conventional motorcycle, died Sunday after losing control while again trying to top 300 mph at a former air base in northern Maine. He was 44. The speed racer and Florida fish farmer was clocked at 285 mph before he lost control. It was unclear how fast the motorcycle was traveling when it veered off a runway and crashed, according to Tim Kelly, race director for the Loring Timing Assn. , which hosts the annual timed speed event at Loring Air Force Base in Limestone, Maine.

Johnnye Valien was waiting her turn in the long jump event at a West L.A. College track meet last week when she realized nobody was using the nearby high jump pit. This is an athlete who cannot help herself. She sees a challenge and she's compelled to attack it, as if she has no idea she is about to turn 88. On her way over to the high jump area, the South Los Angeles resident passed the pole vault pit. And that stopped her cold, her eyes lit by competitive desire. I know what you're thinking: Is a vault, by someone in her 80s, physically possible?

Brendan Hansen pounded the water with a defiant swing of his right arm, then paddled slowly toward the lane rope, exchanging a handshake and hug with the man he had just beaten. After their brief embrace, Hansen swam off in one direction, Kosuke Kitajima the other. Until next time. On a night when Roland Schoeman and Jessica Hardy set world records -- one expected, the other a shocker -- Hansen regained the upper hand Monday in one of swimming's fierce rivalries.

Janet Evans of Placentia regained the world record in the 800-meter freestyle Tuesday at the U.S. Swimming Indoor National Championships at Orlando, Fla. Evans, a junior at El Dorado High School who is competing for the Fullerton Aquatics Swim Team, was timed in 8 minutes 17.12 seconds, breaking the record of 8:19.53 set by Akne Mohring of East Germany last August. The world record has now changed hands three times in the past nine months after standing untouched from 1978-87.

The city of Pasadena broke the record for the number of mariachis playing in a single location on Sunday, hosting a performance by 566 musicians at the Rose Bowl. The five-minute serenade, staged during halftime of the Mexico vs. Panama match of the 2013 Gold Cup, beat the previous record set three years ago, when 555 mariachis appeared at a conference in Tucson. Guinness World Records officials were at the stadium to mark the new record, said Pasadena city spokesman William Boyer.

Richard Wagner -- the 19th century composer whose epic operas are considered to be among the greatest ever written and whose anti-Semitic views still cause controversy -- was born 200 years ago Wednesday in Leipzig, Germany. The composer's bicentennial birthday is being marked around the world with special performances and broadcasts. In Los Angeles, radio station KUSC (91.5 FM) is devoting its morning show, running 6 to 9 a.m., to the composer's life and music. New York radio station WQXR will broadcast an hourlong program devoted to Wagner starting at 4 p.m. PDT on its website . The BBC is also offering a slate of Wagner-themed programming this week that can be heard online.